Merchandising and dispensing container

ABSTRACT

A cylindrical merchandising and dispensing container closed at one end and open at the opposite end is slidably housed within a generally cylindrical closure element having a transverse end wall which covers the open end of said container, said closure element having a longitudinally extending access opening in the cylindrical sidewall thereof, which serves as a dispensing receptacle for the material or articles in said container. Locking lugs at the opposite ends of said closure element releasably hold said container securely therein, and an apertured hanger flange peripheral support flange on opposed end portions of said closure element provide for the mounting and suspension of the container device in either an upright or an inverted position.

limited States Patent Inventor Theodore L. Opp

825 8th Ave. South East, Aberdeen, S. Dali. 57401 Appl. No. 4,505

Filed Jan. 21, 1970 Patented Oct. 19, 1971 MERCHANDISING AND DISPENSING CONTAINER 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 222/180, 221/45 Int. Cl B67d 5/06 Field of Search 221/45; 220/18, 8, 60, 41;222/173,179.5, 180

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,887,299 11/1932 Friedman 220/8 X 2,902,191 9/1959 Rhodes 222/425 3,240,384 3/1966 Lermer 220/60 3,367,528 2/1968 Cowanetal. 220/18 Primary ExaminerRobert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-John P. Shannon, Jr.

Attorneys-Williamson, Palmatier & Bains, George F. William, H. Dale Palmatier and Herman H. Bains ABSTRACT: A cylindrical merchandising and dispensing container closed at one end and open at the opposite end is slidably housed within a generally cylindrical closure element having a transverse end wall which covers the open end of said container, said closure element haviz' a longitudinally extending access opening in the cylindrical sidewall thereof, which serves as a dispensing receptacle for the material or articles in said container. Locking lugs at the opposite ends of said closure element releasably hold said container securely therein, and an apertured hanger flange peripheral support flange on opposed end portions of said closure element provide for the mounting and suspension of the container device in either an upright or an inverted position.

PATENTEUum 19 um INV OR 774E0005 L. Opp Y 16/ I I I y/li 4770 A/EVJ MERCHANDISING AND DISPENSING CONTAINER BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The container device of this invention is particularly characterized by a cylindrical, jarlike container which is closed at one end and has an open, opposite end which is closed by a transverse wall portion of a generally cylindrical closure element within which the container is slidably received. Lacking lugs circumferentially spaced around the bottom end of the cylindrical wall portion of the closure element are utilized to alternatively engage either a first peripheral groove on the bottom end of the container to hold the container within the closure element in its fully closed position or a second, peripheral groove at the upper end of said container when said container is slidably withdrawn from the closure element to an open, dispensing position.

As a particularly advantageous feature of my container device, the aforesaid closure element includes an apertured flange at the top end thereof and a peripheral flange at the lower end thereof on said cylindrical sidewall, whereby said container device may be suspended in an upright position by inserting a suspension rod through said apertured flange, or supported and displayed in an inverted position on a mounting rack by utilizing said peripheral flange to engage the top surface of said mounting rack around an opening therein through which said container device is inserted.

A further beneficial aspect of my container device resides in the location of the first, peripheral retention groove on said container a substantial distance upwardly from the bottom, transverse wall of said container, whereby a lower, end portion of said container will project outwardly beyond the end of the cylindrical closure element, even when the container is pushed all of the way into said closure element in its fully closed position. By virtue of this arrangement and location of the lower retention groove on the container, there will always be a handgn'p portion of the container extending freely out of the closure element by means of which the container may be easily grasped and slidably withdrawn from its enclosure.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will become readily apparent as the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals have been employed to designate like elements throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a front, perspective view showing in exploded form the container and its cooperating closure element;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section view taken generally along lines 22 of FIG. 1, but showing the container and closure element in their fully assembled, closed positions;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section view taken along lines 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the container in its extended, open position;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing one mounting and suspension arrangement for the container device of this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT provided with a closure or cover device which is slidable with respect to the container thereof, and which includes mounting and suspension elements permitting the container to be conveniently supported for display and use.

I have shown in the drawings a preferred embodiment of my invention which has been found to accomplish the aforesaid objectives in an especially advantageous and unique way, the particular container and closure combination of this invention being shown most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 2. The container has been designated generally by reference numeral 1, and preferably comprises a cylindrical jar having a closed bottom end 2 and an open upper end or mouth 4. Upper end 4 of container 1 is preferably beveled as is shown most clearly in FIG. 2 in order to facilitate the free and smooth dispensing or flowing of articles therefrom into the closure portion generally designated by reference numeral 6, in a manner hereinafter described. Container 1 may be constructed from various materials, but for purposes of its intended use is advantageously molded from a clear, transparent plastic material so that the contents thereof may be readily visible. For this purpose, polystyrene has been found to provide the desired transparency as well as the necessary strength and rigidity to serve as a container for various types of articles, including metal fasteners which might be abrasive. Breakage or cracking of container 1 through rough handling and use, particularly when storing metal fasteners such as nuts, bolts and screws within said container is minimized if not eliminated by making container 1 from plastic material.

For the purpose of securely retaining container I in place within cooperating end closure 6, a peripheral groove 8 is provided around the lower end of container 1, groove 8 being adapted to cooperate with locking means on the internal surface of end closure 6. A second, peripheral groove 10 on the upper end of container 1 serves to hold container 1 in an open, extended position with respect to closure 6 in a manner described below with respect to FIG. 5. End closure 6 is also of generally cylindrical configuration, as may be noted most clearly with respect to FIG. I, and includes a solid, top closure wall I2, preferably formed integrally therewith. Closure element 6 has an opening defined by opposed edge portions 14 and I5 extending substantially the entire length thereof. Housing and end closure 6 is adapted to slidably receive container 1, and with container 1 fully inserted therein will embrace and enclose the peripheral surface of container 1 except for the portion thereof extending across the enclosure opening defined between edge portions 14 and 15, as is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6. The elongated opening in closure 6 between edge portions 14 and 15 ensures that the contents of transparent container 1 will be visible at all times, even if closure 6 is not made of transparent material; and, more importantly, said elongated opening in closure 6 permits access to the inside thereof when using curvilinear wall portion l6 of closure element 6 as a receiving device for articles dispensed from container 1 in the manner described below. Upper edges 14a and 15a of edge portions 14 and 15 of closure 6 angle upwardly and rearwardly as shown thereby rendering the upper, internal column thereof all the more accessible.

Circumferentially spaced around the lower end of curvilinear wall surface I6 of closure 6, on the inside surface thereof, are a plurality of locking lugs 18 which are received within peripheral groove or recess 8 of container 1 to firmly and securely hold container 1 within closure and housing 6. When container 1 is slidably inserted into closure 6 until upper end 4 of container 11 is in abutting engagement with the inside surface of end closure wall 12 of closure 6, in the manner shown in FIG. 2, locking lugs 18 will snap into place within groove 8 of container I, thereby holding said container in its fully closed position with respect to closure 6. Closure 6 is also preferably molded as an integral piece from plastic material. Although the same material, such as polystyrene, may be used for manufacturing closure 6 as well as container 1, a more yieldable and flexible plastic such as a polyolefin may desirably be employed for closure 6 in order to facilitate the easy insertion and withdrawal of container 1 with respect thereto. It is necessary that curvilinear wall surface 16 of closure 6 have a certain degree of resilience and flexibility in order to permit the outward flexing of the lower ends thereof as container 1 is slidably inserted therein past locking lugs 18, and to insure that locking lugs 18 will spring inwardly into secure engagement with groove 8 of container 1 when closure 6 and container 1 are slidably assembled to their fully closed positions as shown in FIG. 2.

in order to insure that container 1 will be tightly held within closure portion 6 in its fully closed position so that container 1 cannot be inadvertently tipped in such a way that the contents thereof would be spilled, an additional retention lug 20 is provided on the underside of top wall 12 of closure 6. Lug 20 may be molded integrally with closure 6, or may be a separate element secured thereto by an adhesive or by the application of heat and pressure in a manner well known in the plastic-handling art. As may be noted most clearly with respect to FIGS. 2 and 4, lug 20 is spaced radially inwardly a slight distance from the inner surface of curvilinear wall surface 16 of closure 6, whereby circumferential edge 4a of upper end 4 of container 1 will be snugly and tightly received between lug 20 and the in side surface of wall 16 when container 1 is pushed all of the way into closure 6 with edge portion 4a thereof in abutting contact with the inside surface of end wall 12. Locking lug 20 thereby serves to prevent the inadvertent tipping of container 1 about a transverse axis in such a way that its upper open end could tip forwardly through the longitudinal opening in closure 6 with the result that container 1 would fall out of closure 6 and its contents would be spilled. The forward tipping of container 1 out of closure 6 is effectively prevented by locating lug 20 at such a position on the circumference of top wall 12 that it is substantially directly opposite the longitudinal opening in closure 6 defined by elongated edge portions 14 and 15.

In order to be able to remove all or a part of the contents of container 1, it must be slidably withdrawn from closure 6 along its longitudinal axis so that the upper end or mouth 4 thereof will be moved out of engagement with top closure wall 12. This opening operation is greatly facilitated by locating lower locking groove 8 upwardly from bottom end 2 of container 1 a sufficient distance to insure that a portion of the length 1a of container 1 will project outwardly beyond the bottom end of closure 6 to thereby serve as a handhold. With container 1 held within closure 6 in its fully closed position as shown, handhold portion 1a will project freely beyond the lower end of cylindrical wall surface 16 in the manner indicated in FIG. 2. Container 1 may be very easily slidably withdrawn from closure 6 by grasping wall surface 16 in one hand and using the thumb and forefinger of the other hand to grip handhold portion 1a of container 1 and pull outwardly thereon.

Although container 1 may be completely separated from closure 6 if desired, 1 have found that it is more convenient to slide container 1 only part way out of closure 6 and use the internal column defined by cylindrical wall surface 16 as a receptacle into which a portion of the contents of container 1 may be dispensed. To this end, container 1 is slidably withdrawn out of closure 6 along its longitudinal axis to the position shown in H6. wherein upper peripheral groove thereon comes into locking engagement with lugs 18 on the lower end of closure 6. The inward flexing of lugs 18 into tight engagement within groove 10 serves to hold container 1 in the partially withdrawn position of HO. 5. The opened assembly of closure 6 and container 1 may then be tipped with curvilinear wall surface 16 resting in the palm of the hand of the user to dispense the desired quantity or portion of the contents of container 1 into the receptacle defined by wall surface 16. After the articles or material required have been removed from the receptacle defined by the upper end of wall surface 16 through the elongated access opening between edge portions 14 and 15, and container 1 is again closed by sliding container l and closure 6 together to bring upper end portion 4 of container 1 into snug engagement with the internal surface of closure wall 12. When this has been accomplished, locking lugs 18 will again be snapped into engagement with lower groove 8 in the fully closed arrangement shown in FIG. 2.

Housing and closure portion 6 further serves the purpose of a hanger or suspension means for the entire container device. For this purpose, a suspension flange 22 is provided on the upper surface of end closure wall 12 at substantially right angles thereto. Flange 22 is preferably molded integrally with end wall 12, and has an aperture 24 therein to receive a hanger device such as the elongated peg 26 of the pegboard mounting arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

A degree of flexibility is provided as to the manner in which the container device may be mounted or displayed by incorporating a peripheral flange 28 on the outer extremity of curvilinear wall surface 16 of closure 6 at the end thereof opposite closure wall 12. As is clearly shown in FIG. 3, flange 28 extends around the entire circumference of wall portion 16 of closure 6, flange 28 also being molded integrally with closure 6 in the preferred embodiment of my invention. A rack type of mounting and suspension arrangement for the container device may be utilized in the manner shown in FIG. 6. In this type of mounting and display arrangement, the assembly comprised of container 1 and closure 6 is inverted from the position shown in FIG. 2 and inserted downwardly through one of a plurality of apertures 30 in a mounting rack 32. Apertures 30 are sized so that flange 28 will engage the upper surface of rack 32 and thereby hold the container assembly in the manner shown. The removal of the container assembly from rack 32 is greatly facilitated by the provision of outwardly projecting portion 1a of container 1 which, in this arrangement, will extend upwardly beyond suspension flange 28 to serve as a gripping means. Thus, by grasping freely extending portion la of container 1, the entire container assembly may be pulled upwardly out of suspension rack 32.

It will be readily appreciated that a great variety of articles and material may be displayed, stored and dispensed by means of my container assembly comprised of cylindrical jar l and cooperating closure portion 6. Fasteners such as bolts and screws, as well as mechanical parts of various types for use in service departments and garages may be placed within container l, as well as such items as fishhooks, snaps, swivels, sinkers and other items sold to and utilized by fishermen. Granulated materials of various kinds could of course also be contained within and dispensed from my container device.

Although I have shown and described my container invention with respect to a particular, preferred embodiment thereof, those skilled in the art'will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations may be incorporated therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the following claims.

What i claim is:

1. A container and dispensing device comprising in combination:

an elongated, cylindrical container closed at one end by an integral bottom wall and open at its opposite end, said container having a peripheral retention groove located adjacent said closed end thereof and extending circumferentially around the outside surface of the cylindrical wall portion of said container;

an elongated, cylindrical closure sleeve having a transverse closure wall at one end thereof and open at its opposite end, said container being slidably received within said closure sleeve and closed by the abutting engagement of said open, opposite end thereof against said transverse closure wall, and said closure sleeve having an elongated access opening extending lengthwise thereof;

a plurality of locking lugs circumferentially spaced apart on the inside, curvilinear wall surface of said closure sleeve and located adjacent said open, opposite end of said sleeve, said locking lugs locking into said retention groove to hold said container in its closed position within said sleeve; and

a retention lug depending downwardly from the underside of said transverse closure wall of said sleeve and spaced inwardly from the cylindrical wall surface of said closure sleeve by a distance no greater than the thickness of the wherein:

the opposed, longitudinal edges of said closure sleeve defining said elongated access opening angle outwardly in an upward direction towards said transverse closure wall with said closure sleeve in an upright position and said closure wall at the top thereof, thereby forming an enlarged access opening at the end of said closure sleeve immediately adjacent said transverse closure wall.

3. A container and dispensing device as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said cylindrical container is provided with a second, peripheral retention groove located adjacent said open end thereof, the engagement of said locking lugs within said second peripheral retention groove when said container is pulled out of said sleeve to a position wherein said second groove is in alignment with said locking lugs serving to secure said container in an open, dispensing position; and

said first retention groove is located a substantial distance inwardly along the length of said container from said closed end thereof to thereby provide a lower, end portion of said container projecting outwardly beyond said open, opposite end of said closure sleeve when said container is in its fully closed position within said sleeve, said outwardly projecting end portion of said container serving as a handgrip by means of which said container may be easily grasped and slidably withdrawn from said closure sleeve to its open, dispensing position.

4. A container and dispensing device as defined in claim 3,

and further including:

an upright, suspension flange on said transverse closure wall of said sleeve extending substantially at right angles thereto, said suspension flange having an aperture therein through which a rod or bar may be inserted for suspending said device in an upright position; and

a peripheral flange extending circumferentially around the outside surface of said closure sleeve at said open, opposite end thereof adjacent said closed end of said container, whereby said device may be supported in an inverted position on an apertured mounting rack by resting said peripheral flange on the top surface of such a mounting rack around an opening therein through which said container device is inserted. 

1. A container and dispensing device comprising in combination: an elongated, cylindrical container closed at one end by an integral bottom wall and open at its opposite end, said container having a peripheral retention groove located adjacent said closed end thereof and extending circumferentially around the outside surface of the cylindrical wall portion of said container; an elongated, cylindrical closure sleeve having a transverse closure wall at one end thereof and open at its opposite end, said container being slidably received within said closure sleeve and closed by the abutting engagement of said open, opposite end thereof against said transverse closure wall, and said closure sleeve having an elongated access opening extending lengthwise thereof; a plurality of locking lugs circumferentially spaced apart on the inside, curvilinear wall surface of said closure sleeve and located adjacent said open, opposite end of said sleeve, said locking lugs locking into said retention groove to hold said container in its closed position within said sleeve; and a retention lug depending downwardly from the underside of said transverse closure wall of said sleeve and spaced inwardly from the cylindrical wall surface of said closure sleeve by a distance no greater than the thickness of the cylindrical wall portion of said container, the annular end wall at said open end of said cylindrical container bearing directly against the inside wall surface of said closure sleeve and being received between said retention lug and the cylindrical wall of said closure sleeve to thereby prevent the forward tipping of said open end of said container out of said sleeve through said elongated access opening when said container is fully received within said closure sleeve in a closed, upright position.
 2. A container and dispensing device as defined in claim 1 wherein: the opposed, longitudinal edges of said closure sleeve defining said elongated access opening angle outwardly in an upward direction towards said transverse closure wall with said closure sleeve in an upright position and said closure wall at the top thereof, thereby forming an enlarged access opening at the end of said closure sleeve immediately adjacent said transverse closure wall.
 3. A container and dispensing device as defined in claim 1 wherein: said cylindrical container is provided with a second, peripheral retention groove located adjacent said open end thereof, the engagement of said locking lugs within said second peripheral retention groove when said container is pulled out of said sleeve to a position wherein said second groove is in alignment with said locking lugs serving to secure said container in an open, dispensing position; and said first retention groove is located a substantial distance inwardly along the length of said container from said closed end thereof to thereby provide a lower, end portion of said container projecting outwardly beyond said open, opposite end of said closure sleeve when said container is in its fully closed position within said sleeve, said outwardly projecting end portion of said container serving as a handgrip by means of which said cOntainer may be easily grasped and slidably withdrawn from said closure sleeve to its open, dispensing position.
 4. A container and dispensing device as defined in claim 3, and further including: an upright, suspension flange on said transverse closure wall of said sleeve extending substantially at right angles thereto, said suspension flange having an aperture therein through which a rod or bar may be inserted for suspending said device in an upright position; and a peripheral flange extending circumferentially around the outside surface of said closure sleeve at said open, opposite end thereof adjacent said closed end of said container, whereby said device may be supported in an inverted position on an apertured mounting rack by resting said peripheral flange on the top surface of such a mounting rack around an opening therein through which said container device is inserted. 